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Fifty Lakes makes annual appointments

According to draft meeting minutes, the Fifty Lakes City Council made its annual appointments Tuesday night, Jan. 14.

Council member Greg Buchite was named acting mayor, Thomas Pearson was named city attorney through the February meeting and Richard Schiller was named emergency services manager.

Department heads were also named: Council member Jay Weinmann was named to planning and zoning; Buchite was named to parks and public safety (fire and rescue); council member Jodie Schrupp was named to the liquor store; council member Les Degner was named to roads, maintenance and weed inspection; and mayor Ken Hersey was named to purchasing and personnel.

Blackridge Bank, Frandsen Bank, Lakes State Bank and Pine River State Bank were named official depositories.

Draft minutes state that in other business Jan. 14, the council:

• Changed the date of the March council meeting to 7 p.m. Monday, March 10.

• Agreed to an increase in telephone/cable/Internet from Emily Telephone of between $1-$4, depending on the customer’s package.

• Heard the fire department responded to two medical calls and no fires in December.

• Agreed to advertise for an architect to create plans for the patio addition to the municipal bar.

• Learned the estimated cost share for the County Road 3 construction will be $70,210.26 to the city. The county is suggesting the corner lot, which the county purchased, be transferred to the city for $23,485.54. No agreement was made regarding the lot.

• Restored benefits to an employee Jake Stern, who lost them as a result of disciplinary action, as recommended by the city attorney. The city will review his weekly hours in six months to see if he qualifies for benefits. The city’s provisions say that an employee must work a minimum of 32 hours per week for six months to receive benefits. Stern was moved from part time to full time as part of the disciplinary action. The council’s decision was made on a split vote, with Hersey and Schrupp voting against the measure.

• Decided that health and dental benefits shall no longer be available to part-time bartenders, effective June 30.

• Planned to meet in closed session Jan. 28 to discuss litigation against the city, ongoing since 2005, regarding the placement of Mitchell Lake Road. A resident argues the road was built on their property.

•Agreed to have planning and zoning work with the county to update the city’s zoning map at a cost not to exceed $400.